Freedom House
Freedom House is an non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Washington, D.C. whose stated aim is to promote human rights.
Stated aims
In its mission statement, Freedom House states that it wishes to,
"Function ... as a catalyst for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law through its analysis, advocacy, and action.[1]"
Positive work
While Freedom House has been criticized by some as being too closely connected to the US government, (approximately 90% of its 2000–2003 funding came from the State Department), commentators have argued that it has an excellent record of boldly speaking out against human-rights abusers. Its opposition to the South African apartheid government was one of the major factors leading to the bipartisan Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1989, and the political commentator John R. Miller praised it, saying that it had
| “ | "unwaveringly raised the standard of freedom in evaluating fascist countries, Communist regimes, and plain old, dictatorial thugocracies ... those fighting for freedom in countries lacking it are encouraged or discouraged by what Freedom House’s report covers. And sometimes — most importantly — their governments are moved to greater effort."[2] | ” |
Left-wing bias and advocacy
Despite its achievements and the praise it has historically received, Freedom House has shifted in a liberal direction, and one can see left-wing bias in its work. For example, when it released its annual "World Freedom Index" in 2018, it gave the United States the "sharpest one-year drop since we began doing the survey more than 40 years ago" simply because Donald Trump became U.S. President and because he attacked the left-wing mainstream media and other establishment or deep state bastions.[3][4][5] Thus, although President Trump and the U.S. government made no actions to limit any type of freedom, the U.S. was downgraded because of the President's words, and Freedom House did not downgrade Western Europe, Canada, or Australia, despite the numerous restrictions on religious freedom in those regions. Freedom House also ignored abuses on the freedom of the press committed by the Obama Administration.[6]
References
- ↑ http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=2
- ↑ http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=ZmVmZDg5MmM5ODBmM2YyNzM3NTMwZjBjNGQxNDhjMTE=
- ↑ Report: U.S. democracy has "sharpest one-year drop" in 40 years. Axios. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ↑ Manchester, Julia (January 17, 2018). Report: Freedoms deteriorating under Trump. The Hill. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ↑ Democracy 'Retreating' As Trump 'Abdicates' U.S. Role. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ↑ Multiple references:
- Concha, Joe (May 2, 2017). The press survived Obama's persecution, and it will survive Trump's mean words. The Hill. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Pollak, Joel B. (February 17, 2018). 11 Times Barack Obama Abused Press Freedom. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Moore, Martha T.; Madhani, Aamer (May 27, 2013). Is Obama at war with journalists? USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Parke, Caleb (January 12, 2017). Did Mainstream Media Forget How Obama Treated Fox News? Townhall. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
